Staging rentals can benefit Investors

My husband just finished rehabbing a property that he bought in June and planned to keep it as a rental. It turned out great and I decided to stage it with some accessories before he started to show it to potential renters. I made up a flyer with the staged pictures to put in the tube on the For Rent sign. Well...what a response we got! My husband showed the house and accepted applications from a huge number of people wanting to rent the property. He also kept getting follow up calls asking if he had made his choice. Time and time again, comments about how nice the house looked came from everyone that viewed the property.

Regardless if you are renting a home or buying it is really no different from a stager's standpoint. As an investor with property to rent, think about staging your investment. Creating a warm and inviting place to call home will give you an edge over your competition. And I’ll bet you’ll find that when you market a “staged” rental property, you’ll increase your pool of potential renters and you’ll rent it much faster.

If you are an investor in the Cincinnati area (Hamilton, Butler, Warren counties), Stage a Star would love to stage your rental investments. Please contact me for more information.

Stage a Star featured in the Cincinnati Enquirer Home Section

Sellers pressed to make homes sparkle

BY TOM STEELE | ENQUIRER CONTRIBUTOR

Success in selling your home hinges on how you package and present your property.

Over the past year, the real estate market has been correcting itself in just about every region of the country. Although the Greater Cincinnati market has not seen the drastic correction of many metro areas, we do have a larger-than-normal home-for-sale inventory.

And true to the basic law of supply and demand, this extra inventory has created a buyer's market. Home buyers are realizing there's a lot more to choose from, and instinctively they're shopping longer and considering more choices.

Some Realtors are advising prospective sellers to postpone selling until the inventory adjusts to a more moderate level. But many sellers have no choice.

For these folks, Realtors have an invaluable piece of advice: Make sure your home is in tip-top shape, inside and out, before putting it on the market.

If you're thinking about selling, take a good, long, unbiased look at your home.

"When you decide to sell your house, you need to realize that you're not selling your home; you're marketing a product," says Julia Wesselkamper, Realtor and accredited staging professional with Coldwell Banker/West Shell in Montgomery.

"And like any product, the way you package and present it can make or break your success. Remember the old adage, 'the first impression is the lasting impression.' When it comes to real estate, it couldn't be truer."

It's imperative that you focus on the cosmetics: cleaning, painting, refinishing and making minor repairs. These cost the least time and money, but have the biggest impact on your success.

It's also a good idea to purchase a pre-sell inspection to help identify the minor repairs that need to be done, along with major issues that need to be addressed prior to putting your home on the market.

Teresa Meyer, an accredited staging designer and president of Stage a Star in Liberty Township, says, "Buyers are buying a dream. They visualize a new and refreshing lifestyle in their new home. And anything about the home that creates a dissonance with that visualization - crowded space, dirty appliances, stained carpets, outdated fixtures, drab paint colors or disrepair - will be a turn-off.

"People tend to buy with their hearts and rationalize the purchase decision with their heads," Wesselkamper says. ... "If there's anything about the home that causes them to fall out of love with it, you won't make the sale.

BEFORE A HOUSE GOES ON THE MARKET EXTERIOR

Clean the yard and trim grass, shrubs and trees.

Touch up wooden accents with paint.

Beautify the front entrance, the "gateway" to your home.

INTERIOR

Clean, clean, clean. Pay extra attention to the kitchen and bathrooms.

If you have carpeting, have it shampooed to remove stains and odors. If that doesn't help, get rid of it.

Remove clutter. Buyers do not expect closets to be empty, but they're looking for storage space for their things. The rule of thumb is to take everything out of your closet, and put only half it back. Find a new home for the rest.

Increase surface space. Clear off all horizontal surfaces, kitchen counters and bathroom countertops. Remove any magazines, knick-knacks or any items that add to a cluttered appearance.

Make space. Clear out excess furniture and accessories as much as possible. If a piece of furniture is too big for the room, or is crowding the room, put it in storage.

Eliminate odors. Your home must smell pleasant. Get rid of pet odors, stale cooking/food smells and cigarette smoke. Scrub the house, clean the air vents and replace old carpeting.

Lighten up. Open draperies and blinds, turn on all the lights, add lights to darker rooms.

Lighten colors, too. Go with neutrals. White, beige, and cream may seem pretty boring, but they are best for marketing a home. They reflect the most light, making rooms appear larger.

Repair plumbing and electrical problems.

Properly "stage" your home, Set a mood to romance the buyer. Hire a staging professional who can bring objectivity and expertise to the situation.

Fresh flowers will give a healthy, clean and bright look.

Clean windows until they sparkle. Use a razor blade to scrape off paint splatters. Replace cracked window panes.

Tom Steele is president of the Cincinnati Area Board of Realtors, the region's largest trade association representing more than 5,000 members involved in the real estate industry.

Ready to make your house sparkle and show like a model? Stage a Star staging services are cost effective, saves you time, and the stress of getting your home ready for the market. Call us today or visit our website at www.stageastar.com for more information.

Staging Realtors...how can the non staging Realtor compete?

Our hometown newspaper (The Cincinnati Enquirer) featured an article titled “Setting a Scene that Sells” and “Realtors have plenty of stage tricks to boost sales”.

The article showcased only Realtors that stage their own listings and for the 6% commission they charge, the staging and loan of props is included. According to the article, these staging Realtors spend about $100-150 per listing. You can read only a portion of the article online here.

I think this is a wonderful talent to have as a Realtor but it got me thinking. What about all the other hardworking, wonderful, experienced Realtors out there that do not stage their own listings? Most agents just do not have the interest, talent, or time to do this.

So how do these Realtors compete?

Since homeowners are watching and becoming quite educated by shows like “Designed to Sell” and “Sell this house” and all the other media they read or watch about staging, homeowners will be looking for Realtors that stage or at least offer staging services as part of their marketing plan.

How will you compete? Simple. Partner up with a professional Stager and include them as part of your team! Let the staging professional handle all the details of properly preparing and staging your listings.

Don’t lose a listing because you don’t offer staging services...A Stager on your team can be a tremendous asset in growing your business.

Happy clients=More Referrals.




Teresa Meyer is the owner of www.stageastar.com , a full service professional home staging company in Cincinnati, Ohio serving Butler, Hamilton, and Warren counties. Cincinnati Home Staging....helping Sellers, Realtors, and Investors prepare their home and listings for the Cincinnati real estate market.

When preparing your house to sell, consider this...

As a professional Accredited Home Stager here in Cincinnati, one of the services we specialize in is the Staging Consultation. Not only do we work with Sellers directly, but we also have many Realtors we partner with that offer the consultation as part of their overall marketing plan.

A Staging Consultation is a very effective marketing tool when preparing your house for sale. Making the decision to invest in a staging consulatation is much like investing in a home inspection or appraisal as part of the whole buying/selling process. The small investment you make in the presentation of your home will reap big returns when you sell your house faster and for the most money.

Time and time again, we've seen the dramatic difference a few hours with a professional Home Stager can make along with a solid "plan" to follow. Part of the "plan" includes professional recommendations like painting/paint colors, ideas on updating, furniture arrangements, editing, de-personalizing, identifying key selling features, downplaying any negatives, along with curb appeal ideas and suggestions.

Whether you are planning to put your house on the market in the future, are a new listing or have been on the market for quite some time....your house can benefit from Staging! The Staging Consultation is one simple step toward SOLD!

Check out these Before/After pictures of what a simple Staging Consultation can do!

If you are interested in Home Staging services in the Cincinnati area....please contact Stage a Star. We are the Staging Consultation Experts!

Teresa Meyer is the owner of http://www.stageastar.com/ , a full service professional home staging company in Cincinnati, Ohio serving Butler, Hamilton, and Warren counties. Cincinnati Home Staging....helping Sellers, Realtors, and Investors prepare their home and listings for the Cincinnati real estate market.